Pakistan beat New Zealand by five wickets in the final of a tri-series in Christchurch on Friday, giving themselves a timely boost ahead of the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.
Williamson agreed that getting Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara out early did set it up nicely for them.
Afghanistan boast of an arsenal of high-class spinners including skipper Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.
Glenn Phillips smashed a quickfire half century to guide New Zealand to a two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third one-day international in Karachi.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins bowled Kane Williamson in the final hour of play on the second day of the second Test in Christchurch on Saturday, just as the master batsman threatened an innings that would put New Zealand on top.
Rain pushed the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup to the reserve day after dominant Indian bowlers excelled yet again to restrict New Zealand to a below-par 211 for five, at Old Trafford in Manchester, on Tuesday.
Images from the T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have indulged in fiery on field exchanges early in their careers but their relationship has evolved in recent times.
India have relied on their spin strength on rank turners to gain points in WTC cycles in the past but Gill has said he wants his side to play on tracks that offer equally to batters and bowlers.
'His elbow is still niggling him a wee bit'
Kane Williamson is too long in the tooth to get dragged into the debate over India getting to play the Champions Trophy final in Dubai.
The Kiwis were ruled two overs short of the target when time allowances were considered by match referee Andy Pycroft.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored 90 to lay the foundations for a 38-run victory over Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Friday which gave the Kiwis the three-match one-day international series 2-1.
Mitchell Santner believes that putting Rohit Sharma's side under pressure in that encounter gave his team the confidence for their upcoming summit clash on Sunday.
India captain Shikhar Dhawan was of the view that his bowlers failed to execute their plans and bowled too short to an attacking batter like Tom Latham, who cashed in on the opportunity to register his career-best ODI score in the first One-Day International against New Zealand, in Auckland, on Friday.
Kane Williamson became the second New Zealand batsman to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year as the hosts built an imposing 308-run lead over Sri Lanka at the close of the third day's play of the first Test in Dunedin.
The tourists will be without batsman Kane Williamson in Bengaluru after the former skipper opted out of the opener due to a groin injury, while paceman Ben Sears was ruled out of the series with a knee injury and replaced by Jacob Duffy.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has admitted he is wary of the threat Indian bowlers could pose on a spin-friendly pitch.
Banned spin duo Sachithra Senanayake and Kane Williamson have been cleared to bowl again after they remodelled their bowling action, the International Cricket Council said on Tuesday.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
The West Indies are currently lying seventh in the 10-team standings with just three points in their kitty and they can't afford any further loss to stay in the mix for a semifinal spot.
Latham admitted he has given thought to how to utilise the spinners at their disposal. New Zealand have Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel among frontline tweakers and Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips also to roll over their arms.
Ganguly believes Iyer's transformation makes him a strong contender for a spot in all three formats of international cricket.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
England finally faced some resistance from New Zealand in the shape of Tom Blundell's defiant century but dismissed the Black Caps for 259 to wrap up a thumping 323-run victory on the third day of the second Test on Sunday.
Cricketers, current and former, shared New Zealand's pain on losing the title on boundary count with many of them asking for a "serious look" into the rule, slammed as "absurd".
India's Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his stronghold at the top of the ICC Test All-Rounder rankings while Ravindra Jadeja stayed fifth in the chart.
After a comfortable outing in the tournament-opener against Bangladesh, title favourites England are set to face a much stiffer test against New Zealand in a crucial ICC Champions Trophy Group A fixture in Cardiff, on Tuesday.
Captain Kane Williamson led from the front with a superb century before his bowlers held their nerves in a close finish to help New Zealand edge past India by six runs in the second One-Day International in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Santner acknowledged India's superior game plan and their ability to dictate terms in the middle phase.
Afghanistan stunned New Zealand by a whopping 84 runs in the T20 World Cup match on Saturday.
Coming into the series at the back of a convincing series win over Pakistan, Australia will look to seal their seventh day-night Test win when they face New Zealand in the opening Test beginning in Perth on Thursday.
Earlier, Devon Conway fell for 92 but Tom Latham could not be denied his century after New Zealand resumed on 165 for no loss at the National Stadium.
Skipper Kane Williamson and fellow opener Martin Guptill forged the highest partnership in Twenty20 Internationals to secure New Zealand a series-levelling 10-wicket victory against Pakistan in the second match in Hamilton on Sunday.
England's phenomenal success in white-ball cricket has forced rivals to consider different set of players and coaches for the limited overs game and Tests but New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson feels only a team with a big talent pool can afford to take that route.
The ICC is set to start a nine-team Test league and a 13-team ODI league in 2019 and 2020 respectively, aiming to bring "context and meaning to bilateral cricket".
Kane Williamson said the Kiwis will be going back to their style of patient cricket which has yielded results at home since 2017.
'It's not really a surprise (the rule was changed). I genuinely think that no one ever thought that was going to happen and it did'
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has been reported for a suspect bowling action, the International Cricket Council has said.
With Kane Williamson likely to miss the Test, New Zealand will have a lot of work to do in the 3rd Test in Sydney.
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